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AIM End of Year Party at the Lowell Spinners!
Saturday, June 21st
3:15pm @ LeLacheur Park, Lowell
RSVP to [email protected]
See invitation here
SAAC June Social: Scavenger Hunt and Picnic
Sunday, June 29th
11am - 1pm @ Houghton's Pond Recreation Area, Milton
RSVP to [email protected]
See invitation here
Summer Watersports Adventure for self-advocates ages 13+
Hosted by our friends from AccesSportAmerica
Calling all adventurous athletes for a 75-minute session of windsurfing, stand-up paddling, and Hawaiian Outrigger Canoeing (with 1-to-1 supports)
Friday, June 27th
Mass. Hospital School, Canton
LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE. Paperwork required. Contact Colleen at [email protected] to find out more and register.
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The Parents First Call program is grateful for the 50 parent volunteers who make this program so successful!
In the words of a new family:
"The visit was awesome. It was helpful to hear their stories and experiences with their child the past few years. And, it was super encouraging to see that they are just as 'normal' as can be in terms of going about day-to-day activities, work, play and all of that good stuff. They are super down to earth, which is great. We'll keep in touch and setup play dates in the future! Thanks again for the connection!"
Sarah Cullen, our Family Support Director, is looking for parents of children who are 8 or younger who might be interested in being a First Call parent. We have a special interest in finding parents who:
� Live in Boston/Greater Boston area
� Bilingual
� Culturally diverse
� Received a prenatal diagnosis
If you are interested, please contact Sarah directly at [email protected] or by calling (781) 221-0024, ext. 206 to discuss the program requirements and training.
YOU can make an incredible difference in the lives of other families!
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Families of children with Down syndrome three years old and younger, as well as expectant families, are warmly invited to our New Parent Socials!
Join the MDSC staff and other new families for an informal get-together with light refreshments! Come meet other families and learn more about the MDSC and helpful resources. Upcoming dates include:
- Saturday, July 12
- Saturday, September 16
- Saturday, November 1
Time: 10 a.m. to Noon
Location: MDSC, 20 Burlington Mall Road, Burlington, MA
(our driveway is directly across from the Burlington Marriott)
Join us in the lower level conference room
RSVP to Sarah Cullen at [email protected] or 781-221-0024 x206
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Spring has sprung everyone is busy with lots of outdoor activities as we head into the summer!
We, at the MDSC, are reaching out to ask you to help us expand our support for families of school-aged children (3-22). Many of you indicated in our 2013 membership survey that you would like more support and resources for families of school aged children. It is because of this feedback that we are reaching out to you today.
As family members of children with Down syndrome, you all have so much information and support to give based upon your individual experiences. Many new MDSC families can benefit from your experience with local programs and resources that your family has found beneficial.
Our first step is to ask you to participate in this survey to share your knowledge about the most helpful resources in your community. Please take a few minutes to connect to this Survey Monkey link and provide us with any insight or information that will help us strengthen our database of resources for other members.
We appreciate the time that it takes to complete a survey. We are confident that the information you provide will go a long way towards developing a comprehensive database of information and programming for you and other families. Thanks so much for participating!
Best Regards,
Mo Blazejewski
Education Director
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Working Effectively With Your IEP Team - A Special Educator's Perspective
In this presentation, parents will hear the perspective of an experienced special education teacher about issues and questions that are commonly asked by families as they journey through the IEP development process and advocacy for their children. Some topics to be discussed are related to the importance of crafting a powerful vision statement, supporting difficult behaviors, and advocating for effective home-school communication.
MCAS-ALT - Demystifying the Portfolio
In this presentation, parents will learn about the process that a school based team goes through in order to create a student's alternate assessment portfolio. We will look at the specific guidelines related to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks (Incorporating the Common Core Standards) and discuss how an assessment portfolio differs from a progress portfolio in the classroom.
How to Plan NOW for Smiles in September - Springtime Strategies to Support a Smooth Fall Transition
Birds are chirping, trees are budding, flowers are blooming - and parents and teachers are ALREADY starting to think about September! Springtime means more than getting ready for summer - it's the time to reflect upon the past school year and plan for the year ahead. This often means spring Annual Reviews for IEP's, but just as important is the plan for preparing children for their transition to the next grade.
While there is no specific "formula for success" to make this happen with no bumps in the road, there are several low-effort/high-leverage strategies that you and your team can implement in order to make this big transition go a little more smoothly.
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Starting this fall, MDSC's Education Director, Mo Blazejewski, will be conducting regional workshops entitled, "Strengthening Your Voice on Your Child's IEP Team". This workshop is designed to encourage participants to network and connect with other families in their region as a way of building a local support network of families who have shared interests and experiences. In addition, we will talk about strategies to support more effective communication between parents and the IEP team.
Workshops will be scheduled in the following regions
Haverhill
Tuesday, September 23, 2014 7-9 PM
Haverhill Public Library
99 Main Street
Haverhill, MA 01830
Duxbury
Tuesday, September 30, 2014 7-9 PM
Duxbury Free Public Library
77 Alden Street
Duxbury, MA 02332
Fitchburg
Wednesday, October 1, 2014 6:00-7:30 PM
Fitchburg Public Library
610 Main Street
Fitchburg, MA 01420
Boston
Tuesday October 7, 2014 6:00-7:30 PM
Boston Public Library
Fields Corner Branch
1520 Dorchester Ave.
Dorchester, MA 02122
Springfield
Thursday October 23, 2014 6:00-7:30 PM
Brightwood Branch Public Library
359 Plainfield Street
Springfield, MA 01107
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The Learning Program Boston and The Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress are pleased to offer a 6-part series of Down Syndrome Early Educational Workshops that will be hands-on, interactive and build upon each other in succession
This is for parents and caregivers of children with Down syndrome between the ages of 3-5 who are just beginning to show an interest in letters and numbers
Wednesday, Oct 8 - Understanding the Cognitive Profile & Expanding Vocabulary
Wednesday, Nov 5 - Teaching Whole Words
Wednesday, Dec 3 - Effective Teaching Sessions
Wednesday, Mar 4 - Review of Match, Select, Name/Working with Your IEP Team
Wednesday, Apr 1 - Colors & Shapes
Wednesday, May 6 - Pre-Number Concepts
Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Location: MDSC's offices at 20 Burlington Mall Road, Burlington, MA
Participants should plan to attend all 6 workshops for an optimal learning experience
Fee: $350 per family- participants will be provided with all the information, tools and materials they will need to follow-through at home in-between sessions (A limited number of financial scholarships will be made available)
For more information and to register, please contact Julie Messina, Learning Program Director at [email protected].
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Our family is like many of yours: we have two sons, JJ, who is 5 and has Down Syndrome, and Gabriel, who is 7. We go to Morning Travelers to meet other families like ours, we take JJ to Children's Hospital DS Clinic, and to Boston Ballet's Adaptive Dance program, an attend the Buddy Walk. We are also in the excellent First Call program, and love the opportunity to meet and talk with prospective parents. We are so proud of JJ, and want to share that with new families.
Our family became interested in special needs adoption through the down syndrome community and Reese's Rainbow and Rainbowkids.org. Once we went on Reese's Rainbow, and started to learn about the compelling stories of the many children in Eastern Europe - who will never be adopted simply because of their special needs -we realized that we wanted to grow our family through adoption. We started the adoption process a year ago in Chuvasia, Russia, where we attempted to adopt a beautiful 4 year old girl with medical issues. After meeting her, we were crushed when we learned that adoptions were closed to Americans. We waited several months for things to resolve, and we sadly learned that Russia had no plans to re-open international adoptions. We then began pursuing adopting in the neighboring country, Ukraine.
Last September we met our daughter, Kristina, in Slovansk, Ukraine, and knew our journey was over. Kristina has many complex needs, and would never have been adopted in her own country. The reasons why children with special needs are not adopted are complex: lack of resources, services, comprehension about how well children with special needs can do, and just general ignorance.
Kristina has been home for nearly four months, and is flourishing. She is a lovely, energetic, curious girl who delights in life. Our family can't recommend special needs adoption enough, and would welcome the opportunity to answer any questions you may have. Research is a huge part of the process, and we urge you to read the many articles available in places like: bgcenter.com and http://www.beyondconsequences.com, which talk about the issues that parents may face with special needs adoption.
Note: Please feel free to email Andrea Cole with any questions at [email protected]
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